When new transfer student Isuzu asks Seiya Kanie out on a date at gunpoint, he knows something odd is going on. Especially since she wants to go to Amagi Brilliant Park, where the rides are either dangerous or mind-numbingly dull and the only costumed performers who aren’t rude or apathetic are the ones who didn’t show up for work.

So when Isuzu asks Seiya to take over as the park’s new manager, he knows she’s crazy. (Well, crazy-er, given the gunpoint thing.) But when Seiya learns that Amagi Brilliant Park is a REAL Magic Kingdom, that the costumed performers aren’t wearing costumes, that they live off the energy created by attendees, and that unless they can attract 250,000 attendees in three months, they’ll lose their jobs and homes… he goes a little crazy himself.

But, even with the aid of scantily clad fairies, giant mice and sniper-trained sheep, can anyone rescue a park that’s sunk so low that its own bus doesn’t stop there anymore? The race is on to get the turnstiles turning and save AMAGI BRILLIANT PARK!

Commentary:

Reading the synopsis I was ready to dislike this series and within the first 10 minutes I was telling myself this just might be very good. Of course, I wasn’t sure if it could sustain the simple enjoyment. After Amagi Brilliant Park gets over the initial weirdness it becomes a solid series with plenty of character development. There are a few characters that it takes some time to build out to their potential but each episode was able to move the story forward and help these odd characters begin to become a noticeable unit.

As for the romantic comedy aspect of the series I found that slower to develop. I also felt like Seiya comes across as too cold at first. I know that may have been necessary for the overall storyline but, it would have been nice to toss in some humanity to his character early on.

Overall Grade: B+

I loved the weirdness of Amagi Parks workforce and how they managed to deal with their odd predicament. I also loved the way the park represented more of the strange little amusement parks around the world. Not all of them can be the fake magical kingdoms that give everyone an overblown experience. I would love to attend a weird park like Amagi Brilliant Park.

The bottom line with Amagi Brilliant Park is that it is a lot of quirky fun and loaded with characters you want to like and some you would like to kick. The one thing I get a kick out of is when Isuzu pulls her guns, I had to stop and think about it for a while the after that every time I chuckled a little.

Amagi Brilliant Park is a worthy pick and I hope it finds a wide audience to have fun with it.

Some say a home is where your heart is. Others say that a home is where you send people whose brains aren’t functioning quite properly. So, when Kazunari Usa’s parents send him to the Kawai Boarding House while they work abroad, it may take a while to figure out whether this is really his new home, let alone what kind of home it is.

On the one hand, his new roommate is a pervert and a masochist who peeps at girls’ schools, while his new landlady thinks leaving a variety of weapons lying around the girl’s area is a proper form of feminine protection. And when it comes to the trouble-making college girl and the perpetually grumpy working woman… well, let’s just say that those two have some serious issues to work out. On the other hand, Kawai is also home to Ritsu Kawai, who stole Usa’s heart from the first second he saw her on his first day at his new high school. And that alone may just make living in this strange new house worth it!

Commentary:

Kawai Complex Guide To Manors & Hostel Behavior is a simple straight forward coming of age high school romantic comedy. The comedy aspect is what is front and center with this silly story. The love story is between two rather shy kids who for their own reasons aren’t able to show their true feelings, but as the series progresses things are clear that they are headed to a similar place. The strength is based on the comic relief and the other main characters who give us the extraverted side of the tale. From the very beginning the humor is pushing some boundaries with several of the characters, but they hold the situation back just enough to keep things on a relative level playing field. It would have been very easy for the writers to go too far with the perversion that a couple of the characters clearly would like to exhibit.

The other strength happens to be the animation and much of the background and the use of highlights and polished surfaces. With in the first few minutes I was reminded of the work of Mikoto Shinkia. The work my not reach that high of a quality, but it clearly show how the rest of the anime world has watched and learned the power of reflection and highlights. I found the school hallways and classrooms to exhibit much of the slick styling and one you get to the Kawai Complex there is a great deal of time spent on the polished floor and the rich look it provides. There was even an obligatory railroad crossing scene early one that cemented some of the reference to Shinkai.

Overall Grade: B+

Kawai Complex Guide To Manors & Hostel Behavior is a silly and light comedy that gives us all hope that two rather shy sweet kids can connect even in a world of absurdity swirling around them. Innocence still has its place in todays world and thanks to show like this it is honored and showcased. I would recommend this for the younger crowed but can’t because of the perverted humor that is found in every episode. It is a good story for those 13, 14 and 15 year old girls who want to watch a silly show about a shy bookworm and a sweet nice guy. But, I am sure that the majority of the fan base will be 20 something guys who like slick production and plenty of silly humor and cute gils.

I really did enjoy Kawai Complex Guide To Manors & Hostel Behavior even if it did come cross a little heavy handed form time to time. The animation is stellar for a 13 episode series and the writing kept pace and the story was able to survive under its own weight. So, if you are looking for something that will make you laugh and feel just a little better at the end of the then you should check out Kawai Complex Guide To Manors & Hostel Behavior.

Haruka and Yuu have been best friends forever and they’ve always sat next to each other in class since… well, since they were just girls in junior high anyway. But on their first day of high school, they’re stunned to learn that the new seating plan has them on opposite sides of the classroom! So, since everyone knows that long distance relationships won’t work unless the parties involved put extra effort into it, they decide they need to do something extra special to permanently seal their friendship. However, deciding to kiss each other awakens a whole new level of feelings, and it doesn’t help that some of their classmates seem to be “involved” in similar circumstances.

So what’s a girl to do when her best girl friend suddenly seems more like a girlfriend? It’s a life lesson that the school curriculum isn’t normally prepared to teach, except maybe in French class, and our two young heroines are about to get a private education you’ll never forget! Discover the truth about the birds and the… er… birds, as two young ladies learn to deal with the pros and cons of intramural osculation!

Commentary:

When it come right down to it a series based on a simple proposition that the feature young lades fall in love is not alway a poor option for a story. In the case of Sakura Trick the fact that they are best friends form Jr. High School and both girls narrows the field for potential fans. On the surface things are rather simple and the everything is basically put right out there in the first episode, but as the series progressed I found myself loosing focus and my attention span wondered off to other things.

Now this isn’t the first time I have found myself loosing focus early on in a series just to find out later that it came together and gave me a reason to keep going. Unfortunately Sakura Trick did not give me a reason to say thank you at the end.

Overall Grade: C

Most of the time I was watching Sakura Trick I kept asking myself “who is the fan base they are going after?”. My first thought was younger girls just coming to age and discovering their sexuality, but after the first few episodes I realized that those fans will gravitate to other story lines. The next option was the 20 to 30 male population who lean toward 2D girls and a solid level of fan service. Sakura Trick does have fan service, but it did not reach the level of a Sekirei or Freezing. I kept pondering this question and really couldn’t place the otaku that would be all over this series.

I would love to say that if you are looking for a fun and delightful teen romantic comedy then you should pick up Sakura Trick, but I just can’t. I guess that the blatant Yuri aspects just turned me off. So, maybe if you are a true fan of Yuri comedy that is simple and not so graphic then Sakura Trick is for you, enjoy,

You know how the story goes: girl crushes on guy, girl confesses feelings to guy, guy mistakes confession for a job application.

Okay, maybe that’s not how it usually goes, but that’s what happens when Chiyo Sakura finally gets up the nerve to tell her classroom crush Nozaki how she feels. Since she doesn’t know that he’s secretly a manga artist who publishes under a female pen name, and he doesn’t know that she doesn’t know, he misunderstands and offers her a chance to work as his assistant instead of a date!

But while it’s not flowers and dancing, it is a chance to get closer to him, so Chiyo gamely accepts. And when Nozaki realizes how useful Chiyo can be in figuring out what girls find romantic, he’ll be spending even more time with her “researching” while remaining completely clueless. Could Chiyo’s romantic frustration possibly get any more drawn out of proportion? The answer will be profusely illustrated in Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun!

Commentary:

I was very weary going into this anime. I have seen plenty silly romantic comedies that were just one gussy scene after another. Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun manages to take this basic plot line and turn it into a very funny and enjoyable comedy. I found myself laughing out loud from the first episode all the way through to the last.

The real strength to the series is the writing. I thought the character development was well above par and the dialog superior to most romantic comedies being produced lately. The cast of characters was a great fit for the strangeness of the series and with there only being 12 episodes things kept moving at a perfect pace.

Overall Grade: A-

The only thing that I found disappointing was the high pitched persona of Chiyo. She managed to be a little annoying, and too shy about her crush. Other than that the blend of odd ball characters managed to keep the laughs coming and the relationship between Yuzuki and Wakamatsu. They appear to make a totally mismatched couple but are really perfect for each other and Wakamatsu is just a pushover for her and doesn’t even see it.

Anyway, Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun is a blast and I recommend it to everyone. I think almost every anime fan will find something about this series that they can appreciate and get plenty of laughs to go along with it. On other thing, I love Tonuki.

Shizuku Mizutani, who has no interest in anything but her studies, delivers worksheets to Haru Yoshida, a boy known for being a violent and uncontrollable monster. Though he hasn’t been to school since the infamous bloodshed he caused on the first day of classes, during their fateful encounter he unexpectedly becomes attached to Shizuku and returns to school. Amid the fights with upperclassmen and all kinds of antics that follow, the two teach each other what it means to care for others.

Commentary:

With all of the slice of life / romantic comedies being released I am beginning to get the feeling that some writers have lost their way. As for My Little Monster I would say that there was a very special understanding of the internal workings of these characters that the story stood out as more of a reality tail rather than a romantic comedy. This pressure between the stress of doing well in your pursuits and finding love highlights the natural way that many people end up growing up. In my own life I can see my wife as being Shizuku and myself being Haru, just not as big of a punk.

I wanted love so much that I would forgo anything for it and this is the deletion that Haru live with, even if it is because all he ever really wanted was a true friend. My wife may have wanted love in her life but I have a feeling that grades meant even more to her. Shizuku is that kind of person is able to repress those teenage urges and focus on her grade, but she can’t suppress all of her feelings.

Overall Grade: B

My Little Monster is a series that brings plenty to the surface, but leaves even more hidden away. The fact that it gives us a glimpse of something from what it means to discover what a relationship is. Even with it providing a touch of reality that is still a lost promise as the series ends on a huge question.

I liked My Little Monster and as a slice of life it stays true to the genre. As for a romantic comedy I feel like it was a bit of a let down. I am looking forward to the OVA and I really hope it gives us a little more finality to the series.

Get ready to rock, roll and duck deadly spells all night as Dating Game master (and now real-life romance wizard) Keima Katsuragi and his spirit-hunting partner Elsie are dragged kicking and screaming into their wildest set of adventures yet. Things get off on a strange foot when Chihiro convinces Elsie, Ayumi and Miyako to form a band. Unfortunately, they’re really not very good and their quest to get rehearsal space from the school somehow escalates into a challenge to score perfect 100s on their English tests.

After coaching them through that, Keima should have earned a peaceful vacation, but instead of spending the time playing dating games, his plans are seriously derailed by a forgotten childhood friend, a rogue team of Hunters, and some very nasty cases of possession by evil spirits. Finally, the magic goes from dark to light when the only thing that can save idol singer Kanon’s fans is for her to become a REAL magical girl!

Commentary:

One thing I have learned over the years is not to expect much from OVAs. As for The World God Only Knows OVAs I can say that I found them to be both disappointing and pleasing. On the dissapointing side of things I thought 2 of the OVAs were simple through away episodes that didn’t really catch the essence of the series but on the two that dealt with Tenri and Diana proved to be both entertaining and helpful with back story that is key in the Goddess season.

The other two OVAs were a simply there for a quick smile at best. At worst they added nothing to the story and made a few of the characters look a little silly. I’m always amazed when I see OVA’s come out I hope and pray that they wrap things up but more often than not they just give us nothing but a laugh if we are lucky.

Overall Grade: B-

After being such a fan of The World God Only Knowsand having these OVAs tossed out there am reminded that anime is more of a business than an art form and the reality is that they are trying to make a profit. I can’t be to saddened by this release because there is some material in the group that is relevant to the series. I also see the other OVAs as simple comic relief and nothing more.

If you are a serious fan of The World God Only Knows then this set is something that you will want to own. If you aren’t then I would say look else were for your entertainment.

Banished from normal housing for the crime of adopting stray cats, Sorata Kanda’s life has gone to the dogs and he’s been impounded in Sakura Hall, a notorious den of troublemakers, geniuses and weirdos. Since he has a penchant for taking in small, cute but sometimes not completely loveable creatures, he’s been tasked with keeping fellow resident Mashiro Shiina, an acclaimed but highly dysfunctional and unfocused artist, from forgetting to eat, brush her hair or wear clothes. Then there are the other residents of Sakura Hall, all of whom have their own unique quirks and challenging relationships.

Commentary:

The Pet Girl of Sakurasou has finally been put together as a sin leg set and I think it could have found a good number of new fans if there was a english dub, but Sentai Filmworks is not there yet. Never-the-less this is still a delightful series that doesn’t demand too much of you and at the same time manages to bring on plenty of good feeling toward this strange, but lovable group of misfits. Sorata may be portrayed as the normal one of the bunch and in some ways he may fit into everyday society a little better, but I see him as possibly the strangest one of the bunch. The fact that he has a unbridled weakness for cat makes him a huge favorite and he also allows himself to be the center of the group without being a overbearing shining obstacle to all of their uniqueness.

The Pet Girl of Sakurasou is a delightful short series of 24 episodes that manages to give up plenty to smile about. The animation is perfect for the series. It is bright and cheery that helps keep the series in its element. I can’t say that it was powerful or moving like a studio ghibli movie, but it did go well with the story even if it was rather common for 2012/2013 standards.

Overall Personal Grade: B+

The Pet Girl of Sakurasou has a level of drama included that helps keep the story level and even. The trial and tribulations these young people are going through are similar to many of the struggle all of have gone through. Of course a couple of the demons are a little melodramatic but that too is fine because it gives everyone a reason to feel their sadness and also cheer when the rest of the world is being brought into their drama.

Again I feel like this is a great series and in many ways it put older classic slice of life series like Clannad to shame, but it doesn’t have a huge fan base in the states because there is no english dub. I know that there are the hard core fans that want the Japanese voices acting with the english subtitle. I think this is a little bit of a narrow view of things and a flash back to older dubs were they just simply sucked. Over the last few years I have only come across very few anime where the english dub ruins the series. Anyway, in the case of The Pet Girl of Sakurasou I am confident that a solid dub would propel it into the classic status it deserves.

Either way I have to tip my hat to the series and tell everyone that if they haven’t see The Pet Girl of Sakurasouyet then they need to get busy and check it out.

Dating Game master Keima Katsuragi’s skills at conquering hearts in the virtual world have translated into real life so well that he and Spirit Hunter associate Elsie have already captured 14 of the runaway spirits attaching themselves to the souls of different girls. But is even the God of Conquests up to the task of romancing six REAL Goddesses?

The fate of the world may depend on it, because if Keima can’t do it six more times, a renegade faction of demons will use the Goddesses power to unleash an even more dangerous and powerful group of demons. That could mean the devastation of both Heaven and the Earth! (Not to mention Keima losing his own head.) And if the situation wasn’t difficult enough, it seems that the Goddesses’ souls are hidden inside girls that Keima has already had to make fall in love with him before. As part of the magic spell, they’ve all forgotten about him… or have they?

Commentary:

It is understandable that the overall popularity of the series pushed the studio to make a 3rd season. It is also understandable that there was some attempt to use the earlier plot line to help drive the current story. I can appreciate both, but as it all too often comes to pass I can say that The World God Only Knows: Goddesses doesn’t even come close to being as entertaining as the first two seasons.

It is great to see all the characters come back and to have the wide array of personalities to play off of it just felt forced and more than just a little contrived. Of course it is natural that anime come across contrived because it is contrived. Once in a while an anime will feel somewhat natural, but most of the time you walk away thinking to yourself that they really pushed it this time. The World God Only Knows: Goddesses doesn’t pull any punches in that category.

In the first two seasons I kind of felt sorry for Keima and his delusional personality. In this installment I wanted to punch him one minute and praise him the next. I guess that this emotional response is a positive reaction for the overall feel of the series. It says that I did care about his character enough to get mad at hime or applaud his naive heroics. Either way I will mark that up as a plus. The characters I ended up not caring for at all where the goddesses. They came across rather dense and silly at times.

Overall Grade: B-

The overall writing for The World God Only Knows: Goddesses is where it failed the most. The story seemed to advance with a somewhat even flow over the first few episodes but as the series developed it slowed down and became very even and ended felling rushed and carelessly produced. I guess that if we had a better understanding of the struggles and evil forces at play along with a longer development of the final battle things could have come across much more coherent. There was way too much time spent on how Keima was going to figure out which one of his conquest had the goddesses in them and in the end it seemed obvious from the opening episode what he needed to do.

In the long run I know that the fans of the series are going to love this. It has everything they would want. That being said, I am a fan and thought the plot had some real opportunities to be a home run. I just feel like they got off track and by the time they realized it the story was over and thing just happened at that point.

This is a buy for the hard core fans and I would recommend that if you are interested in the series that you start from season one and work your way up.

Adjusting to college life is hard enough for most students, but ever since Banri Tada lost all his memories he’s literally being haunted by the spirit of the person he was before the accident. And now that the Banri-that-is has fallen in love with Koko instead of Linda, the girl his old self was in love with, the ghost of the Banri-that-was is stepping up its efforts to sabotage his new relationship with every power at its disposal.

Since past-Banri can sometimes take over present-Banri’s body, the entire life new-Banri has built is now in imminent danger of being blown away like a house of cards in a whirlwind. That doesn’t even take into account Linda and Koko’s feelings, let alone those of Banri’s friend, Mitsuo, who Koko was formerly in love with, but who now has a thing for Linda – at least, when he isn’t crushing on Chinami. And if that sounds confusing, it’s nothing compared to how Banri feels as his old memories begin to resurface and the ultimate battle of Man Vs. Himself escalates!

Commentary:

Golden Time Collection 2 wraps up this outstanding series. Being an old soft when it comes to love stories I found Golden Time very satisfying. It takes you on a journey of discovery when it comes to the elusive beast know as true love. I know we have all felt like we are in love with someone and that feeling was presented early on, but as the series progresses it begins to explore the part of love that isn’t natural, but instead the aspects that must be learned. Being in love with a person is easy, but loving them and making sure they know it isn’t so easy and it is clearly demonstrated between Barni and Koko.

Other than the way in which this love story develops there is the relationships between friends that is also explored. There are some very real moments that both make you think about your own relationships, make almost off of the characters in the series very believable and sympathic. The fact that Golden Time walks a fine line between a sappy over the top love story and the melodramatic real life collage age drama helps make it both entertaining and somewhat realistic.

Overall Gade: A

Golden Time collection 2 is a heart warming love story that feels like it could go several different directions and in the end delivers a result that is extremely satisfying. You really don’t know which way Barni’s final relationship will go which I found to be realistic to a point. I think that the memory loss aspect to the plot made it very easy to wind through the possibility that he could possibly love two people and at the same time added some dramatic focus on the characters that was in many ways very unrealistic. That is what anime does and I think it hep keep Golden Time on step above the many slice of life / love stories that are out there.

I know that most people go to Clannad she they think about a solid love story, but much of Clannad is way to day to day and boring, but Golden Time adds the magic early on with the memory loss tension and how it intertwines throughout the series. There are also well written supporting characters that keeps the series solid and easy to watch.

If you are looking for a series that is a tear jerker that keeps you wondering all the way through I think you should give Golden Timea chance. It should also be noted that Golden Timecollection 2 does a great job of wrapping the series up and providing closure and hope whereas other series just make you cry because that is what they want you to do.

Tada Banri is beginning anew in the busy streets of Tokyo as a freshman student at a private law school, away from the troubles of his former life. While managing to get lost on his very first day of class, he finds himself befriending fellow law student Mitsuo on the way. Things get a little more interesting when a stylishly well-dressed beauty suddenly appears – only for her to slap Mitsuo across the face with a bouquet of roses!

The mystery girl is Mitsuo’s childhood friend and self-appointed future bride Kaga Koko. It seems that more problems are on the horizon for Banri and his new friends with a troubling secret that will change them forever. What kind of new life has Banri stepped into and will he be able to survive the trials ahead of him? Join this group of friends as they attempt to discover themselves while juggling love, life, and a little drama!

Commentary:

One of the more popular story lines in anime over the last few years has been the use of amnesia as a important plot device. In Golden Time the discovery of this issue comes on slow, but ends up playing a very important role is creating the tension and drama in this straight forward love story. I have to say that using amnesia for this story works well and the way that it is given an almost counter intuitive aspect gives the series a life of its own.

The diversity in the characters also makes the series work well. It really does have the feeling of a collage where the students come from all walks of life and have a broad and various backgrounds. We have the rich who generally haven’t experienced much in life outside their sheltered worlds and there are also students form the other end of the spectrum who have seen all kinds of experiences and don’t always have the common sense to show restraint.

The animation itself is classic J. C. Staff. It looks warm and inviting. I would think most us would connect with the artist work similar to Torardora! and even Waiting in the Summer. There is also some of the same feeling of visual statement found in Heavens Memo Pad. Golden Time continues to show why J. C. Staff continues to dominate these warm heartfelt stories and showcase their ability to make the visual and emotional come together.

Overall Grade: A-

I am easily soft at heart or rather a easy target for these emotional stories that give you great hope for the story and at the same time lee you wondering which way the love story will fall. There are plenty of possibilities left for Golden Timeand don’t even come close to believe that it will stay on the same trajectory that it is on. I think that the second half of the story will bring the story home in a wonderful way that will not only continue to give us hope in the power of love but also in the spirit of the human soul.

If you enjoy love stories that have a twist and want to see one that takes place in college rather than high school then you must check out Golden Time. It is a winner in my book.

Animeggroll : St Louis Anime Store

July 2017

Animeggroll has moved to Taubman Prestige Outlet, located at 17057 (space 152) North Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield, Mo 63005. Please note, our hours listed below and that we are closed on Mondays.

We are a St. Louis anime store, opening in October of 2010.

Regular Hours:
Monday Closed
Tue-Th 11-8
Fri 11-9
Sat 11-8
Sun 11-6

We carry a variety of Japanese Pop Culture Items. From anime (DVD, Blu-Ray, VHS, Laser Disc, new and used), then about 5,000 manga, add in Gundam models, wall scrolls, figures, Bento boxes and bento box supplies, plush, key chains, necklaces, buttons, pins, T-shirts, bags, Japanese erasers and more. For photos, look under the about us selection.

We carry new and used for a greater variety. We buy and trade. We are unable to take all items. Please call first to make sure we have someone to evaluate your items.